We always take a few of our own ice trays with and the disposable plastic ones take up very little space and work very well - couldn't have survived without them, especially in the wilderness camps.Desiree

droopy, the other thing you can do is fill cooldrink bottles (the plastic 500ml ones) with water and freeze them. They serve as ice blocks in the cooler box, as ice water to drink in the car, and as cooking water if any is left once they get warm

I'm also a first time visitor to KTP booked for December. Can't wait. I read that shoes should be worn at all times. Fine, will do. But what first aid is there in case of a sting! I heard that the bigger the stinger on a scorpion the milder the sting and the smaller stings pack much more of a punch. What to do if one is stung?Also what is the spider situation like - does one encounter them in the camp chalets? Are they big and are they hairy? Spiders freak me out totally and I want to know how many bottles of "Rescue" to take along for close encounters of the 8-legged kind. Don't think I'm a total sissy; its just spiders. Even just typing the word makes me want to run for something to help with the cold shivvers. I love frogs with a passion, lizards (under monitor size) and chameleons are good too. But those web spinners are something else.

Hi Birdie! Firstly - the scorpions with the small pincers and fat stings are the bad guys(ones we have seen have been black) - Very dangerous, especially for kids. The thin sting,big pincer ones are not so bad, but the sting is still very painful, as we found out on our last trip when a male camper was stung and howled blue murder. Wear shoes, and check inside your shoes before you put them on in the morning.First Aid? - can't help much here, but I believe it is mostly preventitive. Wear shoes and check, as the nearest hospital is at Upington. If any other forumites can help here?Secondly - Spiders! We have seen quite a few around inside and out of the chalets etc - all different sizes, but mostly smallish. No matter how big or small a spider is, we respect them and keep our distance, and if we have to, we move them to a safer place, very carefully. My daughter Eagle Eyes is Arachniphobic? and she has coped very well with all our visits to KTP! So remember, most of these little creatures are more scared of you than you are of them, and Enjoy KTP!

So prevention is better than looking for a cure for scorpion stings. Will do but knowing of some treatment would be reassuring. I do respect spiders and try never to hurt them. When I find one in the bath I hang toilet paper over the side so the horror can get itself out of trouble. But I also stay out of that room until someone calls an "all clear".

You said it. Rather avoid them as far as possible. Wear shoes not sandals and make sure that bedding and clothing does not harbour an unwelcome visitor. For bee stings I know that high temperatures work as the poison is protein based and heat tends to coagulate the poison. SO got nailed by a bee wanting to share her cold drink and a hot cup of tea stopped any further swelling and settled the pain. It might be a good option to ask your pharmacist for an antihistamine tablet. This will not reduce pain but help prevent further complications eg. breathing. A far greater risk is the sun, if old spikes gets you alone he will turn you in to biltong, get a good sunscreen and use it. If you are burnt a wet tea bag helps to ease the pain. The tannin in tea soothes the affected area.Enjoy the trip and post some pics on your return.

Just found something in a First Aid Book - for scorpion stings - ICE! Should be applied to the stung area for 1 to 2 hours, applied preferably in the first 15 min after being stung. This helps with the pain and slows down the spreading of the venom. Next thing - drive the victim to the nearest hospital, for anti-venom to be administered. Also try to ID scorpion for anti-venom purposes.

Also , check out the Scorpion thread on the 'Insects and other invertibrates' forum. There they said - ice and celestamine!

Thanks for all the info - the bee sting and hot drink is useful. Even at home when we sit outside with a cooldrink the winged visiters converge. What would be lovely (and natural) - a meercat manor in each camp to keep the creepy crawlies under control and the visitors charmed and entertained! I won't mind not seeing any scorpions during our visit - I can live without that kind of game viewing however fascinating they might be.

Some time ago I received an email advertising some strange items (from UK). There I saw the absolutely ultimately desirable gadget. It was a spider catcher. When closed it looked like a round pastry brush with masses of fine stiff long hairs attached to a handle. When opened ready to make a capture the hairs open up to form an inverted umbrella like canopy. The canopy is placed over the target creature and closed. Your spider is firmly yet gently held by the hairs. It can then be carried safely outside and released none the worse for wear. They had a video of the item in use and when captured the monster looked a lot less menacing and quite comical. I don't believe in killing anything if I can help it so this gadget had really great appeal. The following day I went to the mail to open it, determined to purchase one of the catchers but the mail would not open, it just gave a page not available message. Does anyone know where I can obtain one of these?